Bhutan Prospers by Exporting ‘Sustainable’ Energy, But Some Doubt That It is

PUNATSANGCHHU, Bhutan — Traveling in this western Bhutanese valley is like going back in time before the Industrial Revolution, with only forests, rice paddies and scattered farming villages visible from the road. But after one more turn, the peaceful countryside life is suddenly replaced by chugging machinery. Welcome to the …
Climate Change is Melting Away Nepal’s Mountain Tourism

THAMO, Nepal — Dawa Tshering Sherpa remembers the 1985 flood as if it happened just yesterday. At that time, Sherpa, a then-trekking guide living in this riverside village in the Mount Everest region, was home, resting after lunch. “Suddenly, I heard a sound like a thunder,” the 68-year-old recalled over …
Electric Rickshaws Give One of the World’s Poorest Countries a Charge
As China’s Demand for Coal Soars, So Does Its Water Scarcity

XILINHOT, China — By many measures, this northern Chinese city is an ideal candidate for being China’s Wyoming. It has more brown coal reserves than any other Chinese region, and it is only 600 kilometers away from power-hungry Beijing. The sparsely populated landscape here provides enough space for new coal …
Is China Ready For Climate Change?

Once again, China’s ability to handle a changing climate is being tested. In 2013, rainfall in south China’s Yunnan province dropped 70 percent below average levels. This, combined with similar rainfall decline over the past three years, has turned the once water-abundant region into a much drier place. China is …
What Happens When Asia’s ‘Water Tower’ Dries Up?
Chinese Companies Climb Learning Curve on How to Deal With the West

SHANGHAI — On a foggy afternoon in early 2012, Kenn Ross heard his cellphone ringing. He picked it up, and that was the beginning of a multimillion-dollar dialogue. “We know that your company helps form acquisitions between Western firms and players in China. Do you have relations with providers of …